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Introduction

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Gun control involves laws that restrict access to arms, particularly firearms. It also includes the enforcement of such laws. Gun control deals with issues such as who is allowed to buy guns and other arms. Laws may limit the types of arms that people can buy. Laws may also state where and how arms should be stored or carried.

Every country has the authority to regulate firearms within its borders. The vast majority of industrialized countries have strict gun-control regulations. Even so, gun control is a controversial and emotional issue in many countries.

The gun-control debate often centers on two issues. The first issue is whether regulations of an individual’s right to arms restrict liberty. The second issue is whether there is a connection between guns and crime. People arguing for gun control contend that strict gun-control laws save lives and reduce crime. Opponents of gun control state that individuals are better able to practice self-defense when there are fewer restrictions on guns. They also assert that a wider distribution of firearms results in safer communities.

United Kingdom

In England Parliament and the kings and queens always controlled arms. Arms were primarily seen as tools for the common defense of the realm. They were entrusted to economically prosperous subjects. The government strictly regulated arms to ensure that they were readily available for defense purposes. At the same time, the government wanted to keep arms out of the hands of dangerous people. For example, King Henry VIII, who reigned from 1509 to 1547, enacted various gun-control restrictions. They defined who was qualified to have guns and when and where guns might be fired. Other restrictions concerned the length of guns.

From the mid-17th to the late 18th century, members of Parliament periodically proposed laws that would remove gun restrictions. The laws would have allowed the general public to have guns for the defense of the kingdom. Such proposals failed, however, because leaders thought that arming too many people would be unsafe. In particular, they feared that armed mobs might try to overthrow the government. Therefore, the gun restrictions in England continued.

Naturally, the safety of the government was not the only reason that England imposed restrictions on guns. Gun-control restrictions sometimes supported the hunting of game or the access of hunters to game preserves. They were also used to prevent crime and murders.

Modern gun-control legislation in the United Kingdom began in earnest in the early 20th century. At the end of World War I there were excess weapons in the public’s hands from the war. That led to the establishment of the Firearms Act of 1920. It required gun owners to have licenses from the police. It also prohibited certain groups, such as children, criminals, and the insane, from having firearms. The act of 1920 was later repealed, but new acts were adopted. Today the United Kingdom has some of the toughest gun-control regulations in the world. Handguns are banned, but some rifles and shotguns are allowed. Owners have to be licensed. They also have to limit their use of firearms to activities such as hunting, target shooting, and pest control.

United States

Gun control in the United States has been in place since the formation of the colonies. The American colonies had numerous gun-control laws concerning safety, crime, hunting, and the common defense. Slaves were not allowed to have guns. For free men, however, there were no gun restrictions by class. The rich and poor alike could own firearms. This policy was different from England’s.

In the American colonies, men of all classes were required to maintain guns for the safety and defense of the state. In this philosophy of an armed citizenry, every citizen was considered a soldier and every soldier a citizen. The philosophy was later written in the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment (1791). It states, “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The precise meaning of the Second Amendment has been subject to intense debate, particularly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In general, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Second Amendment only prohibits gun-control laws that would completely deprive citizens of certain rights. These are the right to defend their homes and the right to serve in a national militia. In addition, state governments cannot pass gun-control laws that conflict with their state constitutions.

Both federal and state courts have permitted under the Constitution a number of gun-control measures. They have included restrictions on the time, place, or manner of gun use outside the home. They have included restrictions on the types of firearms that individuals can own. For example, laws have banned certain semiautomatic assault weapons. Other laws have limited who can own and use guns. Laws have placed limits on gun use by age and by alien status. Laws also have mandated background checks to keep guns out of the hands of people with criminal records or with serious mental health problems.

Modern Gun Control in Other Countries

Most other countries have some gun-control regulations. They range from strict to relatively lax. More-restrictive countries may ban certain firearms. They may impose age requirements for owning or using firearms or require firearm training. They may require background checks of individuals before they buy guns or any number of other procedures. The most-restrictive countries usually have a combination of regulations. Many countries enacted stricter gun-control laws in the late 20th or early 21st century in reaction to mass shootings. The connection between citizen safety and gun control continues to be debated in political, social, and cultural discussions.

Examples of how countries handle gun-control issues are numerous. For instance, Japan places restrictions on the possession and use of all firearms except in limited instances. These instances include hunting, athletic events, and research. The Australian government enacted gun-reform legislation in the mid-1990s. It introduced a licensing and registration system at the state and territory level. At the same time the country also began a program to buy (and destroy) from consumers all firearms on a prohibited list. Canada permits the possession and use of many rifles and shotguns. However, it restricts or forbids the possession of handguns in most cases. Germany permits the ownership of certain firearms so long as an individual meets the requirements for a firearms ownership license. To do so, applicants must be age 18 or older and pass a background check. Applicants must have expert knowledge in the handling of firearms. They must also prove they need to have such firearms (for purposes other than self defense).

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